My DM Style

I would say my style of DMing takes heavily from Matt Mercer's style in that I really care about the narrative and tend to think of my campaigns as collections of smaller-scale arcs that comprise a much larger plot. While I am nowhere near as skilled as Matt, I like to think I have struck a nice balance between the things I admire about his style while also adding my own flavor.

My world is high fantasy, which is similar to that of the world of Exandria, with magic and power at the apex of civilization. I love combat as much as the next guy, but I also really enjoy having super complicated political backdrops to my world. This opens the door for all kinds of mayhem to ensue throughout the campaign as these political powers operate independently from the players and carry out and make decisions that can affect the rest of the world. All of this happens behind the scenes and is only felt by the players when relevant.

I also find that, despite having a high fantasy world, a world void of consequences and dark and twisted actors is a one dimensional one, and so I strive to make very complicated characters and BBEGs for the players to conquer and consciously make efforts to integrate the player's actions into the world at large. I guess this would dub my world as being a "Living World," but I find that that word is too overused. Really, what matters is that what you do as a player not only has lasting consequences on you as that player, but also the world around you. It's not uncommon that I will give nods to other players or characters in other campaigns or one shots and hint at their influence or affect on the world scoping it appropriately to the current time period. If you created a shipping business in your campaign, then you could meet your character in another campaign and see that the business has exploded and expanded to different cities, countries, and continents!

In general, I put a lot of effort into devising complex and intricate NPCs that serve as either villains or allies. Like the real world, people have motives and will see them brought to fruition, but they also have flaws and attributes that make their actions more complicated. This gray area, I find, leads to some really interesting encounters and decision making which I think makes my games unique. I feel as though you should really want to take down a person before you do so, and really understand their motives, otherwise what's the point, you know? I also feel like having a guy that is just evil is too boring and unrealistic... there needs to be more there, and so I tend to make these actors behave in complex ways and operate as a normal person would, with intent and caution.

Implicit in these desires is, of course, the buy-in from the players that they are going to be immersed in the world and really get their hands dirty in exploring it. I strongly feel that the more you put in, the more you get out, and so I reward these moments with fat loot or inspiration dice. The best moments, in my eyes, are the moments shared between players during strong RP and are aided by the story threads that play out in the foreground or background. Having consequences definitely makes this easier, but having good players that care is perhaps more crucial to achieving this end.

My Goals

First and foremost, I want everyone in my games to have as much fun as possible. That's what D&D is about to me: an escape into a rich world that you explore and conquer with your friends. If done right, I think D&D is far better than any game, movie, or other medium because at its core, it's just a really kickass story you get to tell with your closest buddies. Thus, having a good time is at the core of everything I do.

Telling a great story is the second most important thing to me, and honestly, comprises a large part of the first goal I have. There are a lot of things that go into this, but I think chief among them is having a compelling hook and adjusting the story as things progress and the players and goals change. This dynamism is one of the best things about D&D and is what allows the players to feel like they are apart of the world and that they matter.

Realism and consequences congruent to the actions taken throughout the story are another means to achieve the end of telling a great story, and so another one of my main goals is to have a setting that is complex and dynamic, just as it would be in the real world. Political struggles, uprisings, wars, famines, and atrocities are all components that make the world have gravity and raise the stakes. But equally as important, the beautiful moments of triumph, heroism, charity, these things give hope. Thus, this balance between hope and despair, of good and evil, of order and chaos, are paramount to telling a compelling story. Having the players affect all these things, or at least be exposed to them, raises the stakes and makes things feel important. Sometimes my story can get a little dark, but that makes the triumph that much more tasty. If you are not prepared to experience these kinds of things, then you can never really have moments where you feel accomplished and just.

Last, but definitely not least, is to have a creative outlet where I can write and explore themes and concepts. I love the canvas that D&D presents to me, and I love being challenged by my players to change how I think of things or build out the world. The back and forth, the everlasting give and take of the DM-player relationship is what inspires me to do better and be better. D&D, for me at least, achieves this while no other gaming medium can.

My Inspirations

It's hard to list all of my inspiration behind the things in my world at once, but this is my best crack at it.

First of all, it is blatantly obvious that a lot of my world is inspired by Exandria. To say that Matt Mercer and Critical Role has had a profound impact on my life and storytelling would be an understatement. Without that show, I don't even know if I would be even close to the DM I am today, let alone playing D&D at all. Whether it be the names of things, the background lore, or just the way Matt crafts stories, the impact of Exandria and Matt Mercer is in every corner of this site and the world it documents.

Second of all, my players are one of the largest inspiration sources I have. Their ideas, their questions, their exploration, they all work to spark ideas that turn into entire storylines. Without their influence, this world surely wouldn't exist, let alone be as rich as it is now.

I think also, I take a lot of inspiration from the world around me and the things I read and see. History, too, plays a role. I strive to have a realistic world, so there's no better place to turn to than the one we live in!

Lastly, I stand on the shoulders of the giants that came before me. Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, C.S. Lewis, just to name a few, paved the path I walk when it comes to setting the stage and precedent for fantasy. Without these mega-minds, I am not sure what Gaia would look like.